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Where The Hell Are The Flying Cars? It's The 21st Century!

I think there will be a stage when we have self-driving cars. People will get used to them and trust them.
Then, self-flying cars will arrive and they'll be approved by governments everywhere.

Flying cars flown by the drivers won't catch on. Too dangerous.
 
Mythopoeika said:
I think there will be a stage when we have self-driving cars. People will get used to them and trust them.
Then, self-flying cars will arrive and they'll be approved by governments everywhere.

Flying cars flown by the drivers won't catch on. Too dangerous.
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Essentially we'll all be travelling sat on giant drones.
 
In a sense we've had 'flying cars' for a long, long time.

Particularly in the USA - where settlements are relatively few and far between in some areas - light aircraft have historically been marketed as an alternative to road travel, and not just to rich executives but also to sales reps, farmers and anyone else who has to cover large distances to get to appointments, find lost sheep, or get to the shops for that matter. And of course in parts of Australia, Canada, Africa etc. isolated communities rely on flying doctors and the like.

These 'spam cans' - most famously from Cessna and Piper - still tend to attract good-natured derision from the pilots of more 'exciting' types, but they were deliberately designed to be somewhat automobile-like: rather than lowering themselves into an open cockpit or sliding shut a fighter-style canopy, pilots and passengers enter via what are basicallly car doors into a familiar style of interior and enjoy the sort of seating position and visibility one might expect from a car. Then Cessna added a rear windscreen to their C150 and the famous 'Land-O-Matic' tricycle landing gear, making arrivals much easier than on previous 'taildragger' variants. These type of aircraft are (relatively) easy to fly, being free of tendancies to alarming aerodynamic quirks *

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But in practice, this kind of aviation works better in Kansas than in Kent and at the moment the idea of 'total freedom' is bogus. Even small aeroplanes need longish runways and helicopters and autogyros (which don't) are more mechanically complicated, harder to fly than fixed-wing aircraft and tend to have little range. And they're very expensive - as is learning to fly and keeping any aircraft airworthy.

It's possible to have wonderful days out in a light aircraft, to enjoy the landscape, or even go on holiday or go touring, but it's not straightforward. You can't, for example, fly to London - all you can do is land at an airfield in the home counties and take to the overcrowded roads, or get a train. If you could fly into the capital you'd be paying enormous landing fees.

UK airspace is extremely complex and crowded, especially around major airports and it's just not practical to have every man and his dog zipping about up there. Besides which it would potentially destroy such freedom as is currently possible in the air, so it's not even desirable if you look beyond the initial 'ooh-ahh!' response. Oddly, the pollution aspect is never mentioned.

So unless some kind of new technology comes along and it's possible to have shedloads of automated non-polluting electric aircraft being directed by computer (and the CAA and its counterparts find a way of taxing the hell out of flying car owner/operators) it's not gonna happen.

And to be honest, I hope it doesn't. We've ruined motoring...let's not ruin general aviation just yet.

_______________________​

*mind you, there's always the Cessna 152 'Aerobat' variant, which is fully aerobatic but won't tend to kill you when it turns out you're not the next Chuck Yeager.

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Very difficult to park at the office, however.

And they won't let you on the train with it during rush hour :mad:
 
Yes, I always thought it strange that they chose such an unexciting name for the company.
 
Tomorrow's cities: What it feels like to fly a jetpack
By Jane WakefieldTechnology reporter
Share
_91195006_dawn.jpg
Image copyrightTHINKSTOCK
Image captionCities are at their calmest as dawn breaks, but it won't last for long
Over the next four weeks, BBC News will be offering a snapshot of the day in the life of a city - looking at how technology is transforming our urban landscapes, now and in the future.

We will look at how technology is improving the morning commute, what it is doing to make our working day better, how it will transform our evening's entertainment and what goes on at night in the smart cities that increasingly never sleep.

We start as urban dwellers around the world begin the day - with the morning commute. In the future, that may mean hailing a jetpack.

_91224441_jetpack.jpg
Image copyrightMARTIN'S AIRCRAFT COMPANY
Image captionSome people dream of getting to work via a jetpack
"Jetpacks will be part of future cities," Peter Coker, vice-president of innovation at KuangChi Science, Martin Aircraft Company's major Chinese shareholder.

"I see it as being the Uber of the sky."

Martin Aircraft Company, based in New Zealand, already has a working prototype that can fly at 2,800ft (850m) at 45km/h (27mph) for 28 minutes.

And Mr Coker says commuters will be able to hail an unmanned jetpack via a smartphone app.

He admits there will be "regulatory hurdles" to overcome and, if the airways become packed with jetpacks, a need for "automatic collision avoidance".

But, according to Michael Read, who is one of only two test pilots who have actually flown the jetpack, it will be worth it.

"It's intuitive, free-flowing and most of all, fun," he says.

"Being able to be transported up into the sky in such an unconstrained way is truly a unique and enjoyable experience.

"Of the nearly 3,000 people we've had fly our simulators, almost every single one of them has left with a big smile on their faces.

"Given that the simulator is very close to reality, this gives us the biggest indication that it is as much fun as people imagined it would be.

"I certainly enjoy it."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37362808
 
The EMDrive may have an exciting future.
Another British invention which is being exploited by the USA and China.
Propellant-free space travel, which would reduce the travel time from Earth to the Alpha Centauri system from thousands of years to around 130 years, sounds too good to be true, but NASA do seem to be taking it seriously:

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/04/evaluating-nasas-futuristic-em-drive/
 
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It does seem too good to be true. If we could build a big enough EM drive to get smart robot explorers to Europa (for example) relatively quickly, that would be very, very cool (to state the bleedin' obvious).
 
In respect of citizen jetpacks...

"Of the nearly 3,000 people we've had fly our simulators, almost every single one of them has left with a big smile on their faces."

This is just popular science 'edutainment' pap. Faith-based pseudo-technical sensory stimulation.

Technology is the contemporary replacement for religion. When and where it cannot deliver, it provides a placeholder proxy.

I question the real value (intent, and effect) of vapid futurology efforts such as being reported here. Whilst evidently just another dose of the global opiate, what is this actually doing?

FutureGreatGrandChild on bicycle-> "What did you do to help build our present day, GreatGramps?"

AgedFalseImagineer in wheelchair -> "Hey, I made movies. It paid the mortgage and the medical bills. And put your Gramps through media studies at college"

<a tumbleweed rolls past>

Also..."EM Drive: fact or fantasy?". Which answer is correct? Sadly, we both know the truth.

As an optimistic pessimist, I want scientists to discover, engineers to build, technologists to design.....but I don't want to be lied to by film-makers.
 
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Ermintrude said:
In respect of citizen jetpacks...

"Of the nearly 3,000 people we've had fly our simulators, almost every single one of them has left with a big smile on their faces."

This is just popular science 'edutainment' pap. Faith-based pseudo-technical sensory stimulation.

Technology is the contemporary replacement for religion. When and where it cannot deliver, it provides a placeholder proxy.

I question the real value (intent, and effect) of vapid futurology efforts such as being reported here. Whilst evidently just another dose of the global opiate, what is this actually doing?

FutureGreatGrandChild on bicycle-> "What did you do to help build our present day, GreatGramps?"

AgedFalseImagineer in wheelchair -> "Hey, I made movies. It paid the mortgage and the medical bills. And put your Gramps through media studies at college"

<a tumbleweed rolls past>

Also..."EM Drive: fact or fantasy?". Which answer is correct? Sadly, we both know the truth.

As an optimistic pessimist, I want scientists to discover, engineers to build, technologists to design.....but I don't want to be lied to by film-makers.
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This article shows an artist's impression of the Airbus project - and it's quite different from the one shown above!
Flying cars to be tested by end of 2017, says Airbus
Alan Tovey and James Titcomb
17 January 2017 • 8:48am
...

Airbus has been working on "vertical take-off and landing" (VTOL) technology that would allow vehicles to pick up passengers in busy urban areas, and has said it expects to be putting them into production by 2021.

Although flying cars have been a staple of science fiction for decades, investment in the concept is finally emerging. Google founder Larry Page has invested millions into two flying car start-ups, while Chinese company E-Hang has a prototype design.
...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/01/17/flying-cars-end-2017-says-airbus/






 
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A broader overview of projects underway and obstacles yet to be surmounted ...

A COMMUTER'S DREAM: ENTREPRENEURS RACE TO DEVELOP FLYING CAR

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Even before George Jetson entranced kids with his cartoon flying car, people dreamed of soaring above traffic congestion. Inventors and entrepreneurs have long tried and failed to make the dream a reality, but that may be changing.

Nearly a dozen companies around the globe, including some with deep pockets such as European aircraft maker Airbus, are competing to be the first to develop a new kind of aircraft that will enable commuters to glide above crowded roadways. A few of the aircraft under development are cars with wings that unfold for flight, but most aren't cars at all. Typically they take off and land vertically like helicopters. Rather than a single, large main rotor, they have multiple small rotors. Each rotor is operated by a battery-powered electric motor instead of a conventional aircraft piston engine.

It's no sure bet that flying-car dreams will turn into reality. There are many obstacles, including convincing regulators that the aircraft are safe, figuring out how to handle thousands of new low-flying aircraft over cities without collisions and developing batteries that will keep them aloft long enough to be useful.

But entrepreneurs are moving forward. They see a vast potential market for "air taxis" and personally owned small aircraft to transport people from the fringes of metropolitan areas to city centers as urban areas grow more congested and people spend more time stuck in traffic. They envision tens of thousands of one or two-person flying taxis delivering passengers to the rooftops of office buildings in city centers and other landing pads during rush hours. ...
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FULL STORY: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-01-30-03-36-55
 
FIRST COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE FLYING CAR GOES ON SALE FOR $399,000

For $400,000, you can buy a very nice Rolls-Royce Dawn. Or you can purchase something slightly less sleek but more versatile: a flying car.

Dutch company PAL-V is now taking orders for the world’s first commercial flying car, the Liberty. The company says that the Liberty models are fully compliant with safety regulations set by global governing bodies, and that deliveries will begin by the end of 2018. ...
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SOURCE: http://www.motortrend.com/news/first-commercially-available-flying-car-goes-on-sale-for-399000/
 
Dubai announces passenger drone plans

Media captionThe drone was first unveiled at the CES tech fair in 2016.
A drone that can carry people will begin "regular operations" in Dubai from July, the head of the city's Roads and Transportation Agency has announced at the World Government Summit.

The Chinese model eHang 184 has already had test flights, said Matt al-Tayer.

The drone can carry one passenger weighing up to 100 kg (220 pounds) and has a 30 minute flight time.

The passenger uses a touch screen to select a destination. There are no other controls inside the craft.

It is "auto-piloted" by a command centre, according to a video released by the government agency.

It has reported speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160 kilometres per hour) and can fly 31 miles (50km) on a single battery charge.

"This is not only a model," Mr al-Tayer, according to a report by the Associated Press.

"We have actually experimented with this vehicle flying in Dubai's skies."

The device was also approved for testing in Nevada in June 2016.

'Resilient to failure'
Dr Steve Wright, senior lecturer in avionics and aircraft systems at the University of the West of England, told the BBC that safety would have to be paramount.

"The way these systems work, making them work normally is easy. The tricky bit is making systems that are resilient to failure," he said.

"I would like to see the drone flying for at least 1000 hours before I saw a human in it."

Dr Wright added that he would not be volunteering for an early flight.

"I'd have to be taken on board kicking and screaming."

Last month Israeli firm Urban Aeronautics announced that its Cormorant passenger drone - designed for military use - could be in use by 2020.

The $14m (£11m) drone can carry 500kg (1,100lb) at 185km/h (115mph).
Click to expand...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38967235
 
Not just a flying car, but an electric flying car:
Video: 46s.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Can't find a story to go with the video...
Found it!
Flying car successfully completes maiden flight
James Titcomb
21 April 2017 • 9:04am

An electric flying car that promises to revolutionise how we travel has completed its maiden test flight in Germany.

Lilium, the company developing the jet-propelled vehicle, says it could eventually change the face of transport by allowing passengers to rapidly travel through cities or commute long distances quickly.

The Lilium Jet takes off and lands vertically, like a helicopter, but uses wingpower once in the air to travel quietly and efficiently. Powered by an electric battery, it has a range of 300km (186 miles) and can travel at 300km per hour.

The prototype, tested in Munich, had room for two people but Lilium has developed a version that can seat five that it eventually plans to use to transport passengers. Lilium expects that users will hail the flying car with an app, as people currently do with Uber cars.

It says that because of the reduced time it will take to ferry people around cities, the vehicle will eventually be able to take people from JFK Airport in New York for $6 (£4.70) and in five minutes. The equivalent journey in a taxi takes 55 minutes and costs up to $73.

Lilium says its mission is to "liberate towns and cities from today’s congestion and pollution, with people able to come and go freely, vastly expanding the radius of their everyday lives".

The electric motor is meant to reduce emissions in busy cities, while quicker transport and less traffic will make it five times faster than a typical car journey. The company says this means people will be able to live five times further away from work than they do today.


The vehicles would only need a small area to take off and land in, so could do so on the roofs of buildings and car parks. The "vertical take-off and landing" (VTOL) technology directs its 36 jets downwards to ascend into the air, and then horizontally to drive it forward.

This is seen as a far more efficient transport method than air taxis that rely on drone-style rotors.

Lilium is not the only company working on personal flying vehicles. Uber has said it is preparing for a world of VTOL vehicles, while French aerospace giant Airbus plans to hold test flights this year.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/04/21/flying-car-successfully-completes-maiden-flight/



 
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Look, this is all very entertaining, but I absolutely guarantee, these will not be become commercial (or technical) realities for many years. If ever.

For electric versions: energy densities- unstated. Battery chemistry- never made mention of. Solid information regarding maximum takeoff weights- never even hinted at. Charging timescales and mechanisms- untouched upon (especially at remote landing points)

For hydrocarbon fuelled varieties: no word on how much fuel is actually being carried, and how trim is maintained.

But crucially - anti-collison systems. Where?

Oddly disorganised
 
Mythopoeika said:
Dream-killer.
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As a scientific engineering Fortean dreamer, I think the only sense in which I'm a dream-killer, is that I try and encourage people to wake-up.

rynner2 said:
I'll hold you to that!
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Ok. I'm happy to be proven wrong.

Because....

I would be fascinated to see real solutions, being shown by these companies. Actual designs. Physical specifications. Test results.

Safety mechanisms, including true auto-deconfliction.

Perhaps papers on these designs do exist. Are published somewhere, perhaps as patents.

I want to see the reality of this, not to be given the standard 21st century glib placeholder of "there'll be an app for calling it, like Uber Taxi" (I refer to Lillium's electric jet....incidently, can someone explain to me why electric fans are being called 'jets'? Perhaps it is a translation thing).

VSTOL is hugely-complex and fraught with dangers. I have seen some of the preceding realities of this, up-close...and it is very very different from what we see being depicted here. Height/gravity/cross-winds/bad weather cannot be marketed away, or mitigated by video.
 
Here's a bloke with a flying jetsuit - looks like he can keep in the air for about a minute.
There are other clips on the net where he falls over repeatedly - looks like this might become some kind of fairly dangerous extreme sport, like parkour, but only for a minute or two at a time.

Not that he is flying around in a farmyard, right next to a harrow with multiple blades pointed right at him - he must be fairly confident in his own flying abilities.

 
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